MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said he discussed cooperation issues, including in the energy and defense sectors, with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan.

“I discussed with President Putin efforts to comprehensively develop our cooperation, including in the energy and defense sectors,” he said in an interview with VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin, which was posted on his website. Telegram channel.

“The criminal sanctions that have been imposed by the United States on Venezuela and Russia are the legacy of the past world where Western countries seek dominance, manipulation of freedom, manipulation of the use of the dollar to prevent progressive movement,” he said.

Maduro arrived in Kazan to attend the BRIS Summit on October 22. He met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 23 and addressed the plenary session in the form of BRICS Plus/Outreach.

The 16th BRICS Summit, the key event of Russia’s chairmanship of the association, was held in Kazan on October 22-24. On the second day of the summit, the participants adopted the Kazan Declaration. Among other key issues, the document highlighted the group’s development and its stance on global issues and crisis resolution, including in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The BRICS group was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, and South Africa joined in 2011. On 1 January 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates became full members. . The summit in Kazan became the first in which the new members of the association participated as full members.